


I Adore You

by hyrulehobbit



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst probably, F/F, Fluff and Angst, High School, Highschool AU, Human AU, Mutual Pining, also fluff later, indian marceline, jake and lady are teachers at the school, may get nsfw later on, oh oh simon is a teacher as well, peebles is the new girl, who doesn't love a new student at school trope cmon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 14:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4140858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyrulehobbit/pseuds/hyrulehobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A high school au, in which PB is the new girl. Things get gay.</p><p>There will be themes of confusion, acceptance, disapproving parents, arranged marriage, homophobia and possibly racism later on.</p><p>Two girls in love and a bass guitar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Cursed Locker

_Bonnibel Bluestock-Jarèt._

Ok, so that got Marceline's attention. What a ridiculous name. Not that _Marceline Maaya Sharma Abadeer_ could talk, but still. The homeroom teacher announcing the presence of the new girl in class had somewhat caught Marceline's interest, and she actually paused her doodle of a bat playing guitar to sit up straight and pay attention.

 With a name like that, Marcy wondered what on earth this "Bonnibel" would look like. She began picturing a tall posh girl who looked like a horse.

 

What she got was something different entirely.

 

First off, her hair was bright bubblegum pink. It was long and piled up into a messy bun at the back of her head. She was petite and curvy, wearing a pastel blue blouse, white skirt and cardigan, those little socks with frills around the ankles, and brogue shoes on her small feet. There were a pair of stylish square glasses on the end of her little round nose, which she pushed back up with her delicate fingers; the nails of which were painted to match her hair. She was...

 

_She was..._

Frowning slightly. Because Marceline had been staring at her the moment she stepped through the classroom door.

Slightly embarrassed, Marcy coughed and quickly resumed her doodle. But she didn't look away for too long. The sound of the new girl speaking up immediately caught her attention again.

"Um. Actually, it's Bonnie, if that's alright." her voice was soft and sweet. She was well-spoken, and her pink-glossed lips were pursed in a perfect little cupids bow and...

 

Crap, staring again. She scribbled extra hard into the paper, giving the guitar-playing bat a pair of big angry eyebrows.

 

"Oh, yes of course Bonnie that's fine." Ms. Mujigae piped up, turning to smile at the class.

"Bonnie's family just moved here from Florida, so everyone make her feel welcome. There's a seat there for you Bonnie."

 

_Oh crap what if it's next to me don't look up she probably thinks you're a creep already don't look-_

 

Marcy looked up, just to be safe. To her relief, it wasn't. Bonnie made her way down the line of desks, towards the empty seat on the row to Marcy's right, and two desks in front of her.

Their eyes met in a brief glance before Bonnie sat down. Marceline noted that her eyes were light blue.

 

Thoroughly resolved not to do any more staring, Marceline lowered the peak of her snapback down over her eyes and bent over her piece of paper. The bat's guitar was now shooting fire.

Ms. Mujigae began to take attendance. She was a sweet lady, always smiling, with dyed blonde hair down to her waist, and her English had a pleasant lilting quality due to her Korean accent.

 

"Susan?"

"Present."

"Daniel?"

"Present, Miss."

"Marceline?"

"Present."

 

Marceline didn't look up when her name was called. She continued scribbling away in her notebook. But for some reason, she hoped that Bonnie had looked over at her upon learning her name.

 

~~~

 

The rest of the day passed at a strange pace. Marceline learned that she and Bonnie were in the same classes for English Literature, and all three sciences. Marcy spent most of the day staring at the back of Bonnibel's pink head (or at least, trying not to). It seemed that Bonnie was fond of classic literature, and was a total whizz at science, especially chemistry. She didn't act like the shy new girl. She wasn't afraid to raise her hand and share her knowledge and opinions with the teachers and class. In fact, Marcy thought she was somewhat of a know-it-all. Very Hermione Granger. Not...that that was a bad thing, or anything like that. Hermione was one of Marceline's favourite literary heroines. Plus, Emma Watson was very cute...not that Marceline would ever admit such a thing out loud...did that mean she though Bonnie was cute too?

UGHHH.

Marceline thumped her head down on her desk in her graphic arts class, thankfully a class she didn't share with the pink-haired new girl.

 

_What's the matter with me?_

 

Marceline sighed in relief when the final bell of the day rang out. She had no homework due the next day, which meant a night of curling up in her room and watching back-to-back episodes of Buffy on Netflix. She made her way to her locker, humming the Buffy theme as she opened it and took out her pennyboard, tucking it under one arm. She briefly checked her reflection in the small mirror she'd blue-tacked inside the locker door. Dark eyeliner framing dark eyes, long dark hair framing her dark face. She smoothed a long finger over her meticulously plucked and shaped eyebrows, and found them pulling into a frown due to the loud sound of aggressive rattling coming from a few lockers down. She closed her locker door and turned to find Bonnie, about 4 lockers down, twisting the number lock furiously and rattling the door, all to no avail. She finally gave it a tiny kick and pouted in irritation, which Marceline couldn't help but snort quietly to herself at.

"Chillax, Princess. Looks like you got landed with the cursed locker. Bummer." Marcy said as she made her way over. Bonnie frowned at her, clearly finding the comment unhelpful and she sighed in frustration.

"Why won't it open?!" she grumbled, and Marceline raised an amused eyebrow.

"Man, calm down! There's a trick to it see?" Marceline fiddled with the knob, hoisted the door up and gave it a yank before it swung open.

 "Aaaand...there!" she gestured to the opened locker in triumph "Ya gotta lift the door up a bit, and then it should open, got it?"

 

Bonnie blinked in surprise, seeming significantly calmer, and then nodded.

 

"Thank you, ummm...Marc..ia..was it?" she said uncertainly, and Marcy gave a slow grin.

"Marceline. You're welcome. Laters, Bonnibel." she drawled, grin widening, before dropping her pennyboard to the floor with a clatter and coasting away down the hallway.

 

"It's Bonnie!" the short girl yelled after her.

 

If Bonnie hadn't been landed with the cursed locker, they may have never even had a reason to speak. Somehow, Marceline's grin got even bigger.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the new girl has pink hair, and Marceline has a serious staring problem.
> 
> Chapter 2 coming soon, promise.
> 
> (p.s I hadn't considered bringing in any other characters besides Marcy, PB, Lady, Jake and Finn, and Ash and Simon will make an appearance later on, so if there's any other characters you would like to see let me know!)


	2. Two Girls Kissing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home life with the Abadeer's.
> 
> In which Marceline doesn't want to be a dentist, still talks to her stuffed animals, and has a revelation.

Marceline opened the door to the front porch of her house. She propped her pennyboard up in the corner, kicked off her vans and placed them in one of the cubbyholes in the shoe rack, and entered the house.

"Mam, I'm home!" she called, already half way up the stairs. The sounds and smells of dinner cooking drifted from the kitchen and her stomach growled hungrily. Surely there'd be time for a snack and at least one episode of Buffy before dinner.

Marceline's room was her sanctuary.

Band posters, from the mainstream to the downright obscure, adorned the walls. There were several movie posters too, mostly of the classic horror genre. And mostly of vampires. She thought vampires were cool, especially the old-style creepy ones like Nosferatu. The bookshelf above her desk was also stacked with various horror movie DVD's, and novels by the likes of Steven King, Darren Shan and Neil Gaiman. And of course, her Harry Potter collection.

She flung her canvas backpack unceremoniously onto the floor, took off her snapback and hooked it onto the bedpost. She ran a hand through her long hair. Catching sight of what a mess it was in the mirror, she sat at her desk and began brushing it through. Her hair grew almost down to the small of her back, was jet black and silk smooth. It was her favourite feature. As a child, she had been quite a "tomboy", much to her mother's dismay. Little Marcy insisted on keeping it short, and it always stuck out at awful angles. But as she got older, she finally gave into her mother's pleas to grow it long, and was glad for it. It fell heavy and poker straight, and her brush glided effortlessly through it.

She hummed happily once finished, going over to grab the bag of pretzels that she saved from lunch from her backpack, and curled up on her bed with her laptop, opening Netflix. She had been much too young to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer back when it was on TV, and thought it looked a bit lame when it appeared in her recommended shows, but she couldn't have been more wrong. She loved it. Buffy Summers was a total kickass, the music was great, and the ugly gnarly vampires were awesome. Marcy was into season 5 now. Willow Rosenberg was probably her favourite character, her story arc had gotten so good across the seasons. And although it confused Marceline to admit it to herself, there was something about watching Willow's interactions with her close friend Tara's that made her heart flutter. There was something in the way they looked at each other. Marcy curled up on her bed, hugging her favourite childhood bear Hambo close as she watched the episode.

Willow and Tara were witches, and in previous episodes they did spells together. It was mesmerising sometimes, watching them holding onto each others hands as they made a rose float in the air. Marceline totally wished she could make things float with her mind too. But she also found herself wishing that she could hold Willow's hand too. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, to feel another girl's hand in hers.

 

Her thoughts drifted away from the episode, to Bonnie.

 

She hit pause and let out a frustrated sound that sounded a bit like " _AUGggghhhh_."

She stuffed a handful of pretzels into her mouth and buried her face in Hambo.

 _Why was this pink-haired girl plaguing her thoughts so much?_ She wondered, as she crunched the pretzels. They had hardly spoken a word to each other.

Marceline spent a good 10 minutes trying to rationalise her thoughts. She didn't really have that many friends at school...she occasionally hung out with Wendy, Bee and George, but not often. In fact, she was better friends with her history teacher Professor Petrikov than she was with any of the other students...

 

Maybe she just needed a friend.

 

She found it a little doubtful that she and Bonnie would have much in common. Bonnie was...girly. And probably a total goodie-two-shoes. But...maybe if they got to know each other better, they'd be surprised?

It was settled. Marceline would talk to her tomorrow at school. Satisfied, she un-paused the episode and watched another fifteen minutes, before there was a call from downstairs.

"Marceline! Dinner, go wash up!"

"Coming!" She replied, shutting her Macbook and hopping off the bed.

 

~~~

 

When she walked into the dining room, her father was already sat at the dinner table. She hadn't ever heard him come in.

"Hi Papi" she said, taking her seat. He nodded in greeting.

"Evening, _priya_." he replied, tucking a napkin into his shirt, lest there be a disaster involving food getting on his pristine suit "How was school?"

Marcy shrugged, as her mother shuffled in, placing the dishes of food on the table "Ehh. Nothing to report...we have a new girl."

"Really? Senior year is a strange time to be transferring schools wouldn't you say?" noted Mrs Abadeer as she sat down. Marceline shrugged again.

"I guess...maybe I'll ask her about it."

 Mrs Abadeer recited the pre-meal blessing, and then they tucked into dinner.

 "So. Marceline." Mr Abadeer piped up.

 

Ugh. This wasn't going to be good.

 

"Your mother and I have some brochures we want you to look at. For dental school."

Ugh.

Marceline kept her gaze firmly focused on her spiced potatoes and spinach.

"Yeah, sure Papi." she muttered, oozing disinterest.

"Please Marcy, this is important." he said sternly, and she met his firm gaze. Hunsen Abadeer was an orthodontist, and his wife, Raani Abadeer was a dental nurse. Hunsen's father, Marceline's grandfather, had been an orthodontist too before he retired. And now, it seemed it was on Marceline's shoulders to carry the family torch. Or toothbrush, more appropriately.

"Your mother and I want what's best for you. And we believe that dental school is the right path." he continued.

"But what if I don't want to go to dental school?! The thought of messing with other people's teeth all day long makes me wanna rip my own teeth out. Slowly." she muttered

"Marceline, enough. I know you still have this little dream about going to music college and making your big break, and you know your mother and I support your bass playing as a hobby. But that's all it is, a hobby and a dream. Now finish your dinner."

 

They ate in silence. As soon as she was done, Marcy grabbed the college brochures that her mother handed to her and stormed upstairs without a word. She slammed her bedroom door, and flopped face-first onto her bed.

"Ughhh, Hambo. I don't wanna be a gross dentist." she mumbled into the duvet. Hambo smiled his lopsided smile, as always. Marceline's mother once said that seventeen year old girls shouldn't have stuffed toys, let alone talk to them. But Hambo was special to her.

Burrowing inside the covers, Marcy opened Netflix up and resumed her Buffy episode. It was a pretty emotional episode. Willow was crying, and Tara was attempting to comfort her.

God. There was something about the way they looked at each other. Marceline's chest tightened. Their bond felt stronger to her, and gave her more butterflies than Buffy and Angel ever did.

 

Marceline held her breath, as Tara cupped Willow's face gently, and kissed her.

 

Her head spun. They were both girls. And they were kissing. And it was so right.

In that moment, Marceline knew. She knew deep down what she had been ignoring and denying since she was a little girl.

 

She knew. She just wasn't ready to admit it yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laughs at the misleading title, lmao you thought.  
> I'm afraid it will be a while before that happens.
> 
> Until then, I'm aiming to update at least one chapter a week!
> 
> (also, some Buffy trivia: Willow and Tara became a canon couple in season 4, but didn't get their first on-screen kiss greenlit until season 5. But poor Marcy desperately convinced herself that they were just "very close friends" until the kiss happened. Oh, Marceline).


	3. Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marceline realises that talking to Bonnie is the easiest thing in the world.  
> Sparks fly (as well as volleyballs) in gym class, and there's every reason to look forward to Friday.

_I don't care if Monday's blue_  
_Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too_  
_Thursday I don't care about you_  
_It's Friday I'm in love._

Marceline had head on her desk, using her folded arms as a pillow. It was Tuesday morning, and the class was milling about the home room, waiting for Miss Mujigae to arrive and call attendance. Marcy had her big headphones on and she was humming along to Robert Smith singing about his favourite day of the week.

Over the music, she heard a voice next to her.

She pulled off her headphones and raised her head curiously. Bonnie was standing right next to her, giving her a friendly smile. Marceline blinked, totally caught off guard.

"Huh, what? Sorry didn't catch that..." she replied.  
"The Cure, right? You're listening to The Cure?" bonnie repeated, smiling.  
Marceline gaped and nodded.  
"Y-yeah...you like 'em?" she uttered in surprise, sitting up straighter and pausing the music.  
"Totally! They're one of my favourites!" Bonnie chirped with a warm smile, sitting in the empty seat next to her.

"No way!" Marcy grinned "Didn't take ya for a Cure fan."

Bonnie hummed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah I get that a lot. My dad's into all that stuff. The Cure, The Smiths, Radiohead...he really influenced my tastes."

Marceline could hardly believe her ears.

"My dad _hates_ my music. In my house it's either him blasting out Tchaikovsky or my mom listening to Bollywood soundtracks at unholy volumes."  
Bonnie giggled. Marceline thought it sounded sweet.  
"That sounds like a lot of fun."  
"Oh, it is." said Marcy sarcastically "They're the worst offenders but I'm the one who gets yelled at when I play my bass too loud."  
Bonnie tilted her head in curiosity.  
"Oh, you play bass?"  
"Yeah, I..." Marceline was cut short when Miss Mujigae entered the room.

"Talk to you later!" Bonnie said in a stage whisper, as she got up to go sit in her assigned seat, and Marceline nodded eagerly.

 

Talking to her felt like the easiest thing in the world.

 

After attendance was called, Marcy reconvened with Bonnie on their way to the lockers.

"Ugh I'm still super lost in this place." muttered Bonnie, frowning at her schedule.  
"Here, lemme see." Marceline said, taking the piece of paper from Bonnie's hand and scanning it over. She grinned, looking over her chosen classes. AP Calculus, Advanced Science (as well as all three regular level sciences), English Literature, Fine Art, Gym and Home Economics.

"Damn Bonnie, that's quite the busy schedule ya got. Here look." they both huddled around the piece of paper and Marceline pointed down the hallway.  
"Art is in the back building. Go down this corridor, take a left and go out the double doors, you'll see it right there."  
"Thank you." Bonnie sighed "You're a huge help, Marceline."

Marceline felt her chest clench, but in a good way.

"No problems." she glanced at the schedule again "Oh hey! We both have Gym last period!"  
"Oh! Mr Toro's class?" Bonnie asked.  
Marceline laughed.  
"The Dog is funny guy, you'll like him."  
"The...dog?" Bonnie repeated with an amused smile  
"No one calls him Mr Toro, it's either that or just Jake."

Bonnie nodded and smiled"Right, gotcha. I'll see you there, then?" she asked

"Sure thing, Princess." Marceline waved.

Bonnie smiled sweetly and waved as she bounced away down the corridor. She bounced a little when she walked. Marceline thought it was cute.

 

* * *

 

Safe to say, Marceline had never looked forward to Gym this much before. She even struggled to pay attention in History, which was one of her best subjects, and she spent most of the lesson doodling on her worksheet. She almost raced out of the classroom after the bell went, but the sound of Professor Petrikov clearing his throat made her stop.

"Ahem, Marceline?" he asked, as the rest of the students filed out of the classroom.  
"Yeah?" she said with a cautious smile.  
"No doodles on my worksheets next time, ok?" he said, holding up Marceline's sheet with a raised eyebrow.

It was of a little bat and a piece of candy with a face holding hands.

"Very cute." he remarked, and Marceline smiled sheepishly.  
"Sorry, Simon. Won't happen again."

He grinned and rolled his eyes, and Marceline smiled in return. Simon fiddled with his half-moon glasses and returned to marking the work.

"Looking forward to your big gig on Friday, by the way." he added  
"Aww, pshh." said Marcy, sitting on one of the desks "It's just a little café setup my dad organised."

In truth, Marceline was really excited. It was the first public performance for her band, and it was a miracle that Mr Abadeer had even agreed to help organise it.

"Well little or not, what kind of fan would I be if I missed the Scream Queens debut huh?" he chuckled "Now scram, you're gonna be late for last period."  
She beamed and nodded, dashing from the room.

"Laters, Simon."

Maybe it was weird that she considered her history teacher to be one of her best friends, but Marceline didn't really care. She liked the old miser, and he'd been the one to help her out when she got bullied when she was younger.

When she got to the ladies changing rooms, it was empty.  
"Crap." she muttered, changing into her gym kit hurriedly. She was really late.

 

As she tried to enter the gym inconspicuously, she was greeted by the sight of a volleyball flying rapidly towards her face.

She caught it with a surprised squeak just before it collided with her nose.

"Weeeeeell, I suppose I can forgive your lateness since you have such sick reflexes. Don't be late again, Mar." Jake called over to her with a smug grin.  
"Sorry Jake." she mumbled as the entire class snickered. She tossed the volleyball back to Mr Toro and made her way over to the group, sliding in next to Bonnibel.

"Nice catch, Mar." Bonnie whispered, and Marceline gave her a playful dig in the ribs with her elbow.

Jake got the class to pair up, and Marceline felt a bubble of joy in her chest when Bonnie was the one to ask her, not the other way around.

 

Ok, so...lobbing a ball back and forth across a net didn't exactly allow for good conversation. But it was fun nonetheless.

 

"So, Bonnibel." toss  
"Bonnie." toss  
"Right, right, sorry. Bonnie." toss "What brings you to Willowtree High in senior year?"  
Bonnie sighed and shrugged before hitting the ball back with a graceful little bounce on her toes.  
"Well, my brother got into a really prestigious culinary school in the area, and there's also a science college here too that I've got my eyes on."  
Marceline put her weight on one hip and tossed the ball back and forth between her own hands as she listened. Bonnie shrugged again and smiled that tiny smile.  
"And my parents have a thing about travelling and wanted to see new places. So just like that, we all moved."  
"Fair games. You like it here?"  
Bonnie nodded.  
"Yeah it's been nice so far! I don't really know the town very well yet though."

Marceline bit her lip, feeling hopeful.  
"Well, I -" she was quickly interrupted by Jake barking at her.

"Marceline! You're meant to be throwing the ball to her, not to yourself."

"Sorry Jake!"

The girls grinned at each other, and continued their game in silence.

 

When the class adjourned, Jake got everyone to help pack away the net and the volleyballs.

"C'mon team, the sooner we pack away the sooner you guys can go home, and the sooner I can go meet my Lady."

This comment was met by giggles and a few "eeeews!" from the class, and Bonnie smiled at Marcy in curiosity.  
"His girlfriend?"  
"Yeah, Jake is dating Miss Mujigae. They're grossly adorable together."  
"Aww, how sweet!" said Bonnie.

As the class started leaving the gym, somebody entered through the doors not looking where they were going, and collided with Bonnie. Bonnie let out a little "oof" and her assailant let out a rather high pitched squeak.

It was a scrawny boy, even shorter than Bonnie, with scruffy blonde hair.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" said Bonnie, a little startled.  
The boy blinked up at her, turned red in the face, and said nothing as he scurried through the crowd and over to Jake.

"Jakes lil brother, Finn. He's in the grade below us."Marceline said to her in a low voice, before she asked.  
"Ohhh, I see." Bonnie craned her neck to look over at him. He still looked incredibly flustered, and put on a white beanie hat with bear ears, pulling it down over his face. Marcy chuckled and rolled her eyes.

The ladies changing room was packed and buzzing with conversation. Unfortunately Bonnie was on the other side of the crowded room to Marcy, so they couldn't continue their conversation. Plus it wasn't exactly the place for it. The room smelled like sweaty socks masked with cheap aerosol perfume. And besides...

 

Bonnie was changing.

 

Marceline didn't mean to look. She just happened to glance over at the wrong time to catch sight of Bonnie taking off her shirt to reveal a pastel blue bra.  
Marceline turned around so fast she almost hit her head on the wall. Her face was probably the colour of a strawberry slurpee. She got changed back into her denim shorts, vans, Led Zeppelin t shirt and red plaid shirt as fast as humanly possible, leaving the room.

Marceline's friend Wendy gave her a funny look as she left.

 

* * *

 

As soon as she was out of there, Marceline marched over to her locker, where she plonked her forehead against it and sighed.

_Nice going, Mar-mar. Real smooth._

She opened her locker and checked her reflection in the little mirror. Well, at least she wasn't the colour of ketchup any more. She tugged at the hair tie she'd put in for gym, and let her silky black tresses tumble out of her ponytail and onto her shoulders.

" _Marceline!_ "

She whirled to see Bonnie waving at her down the corridor. Marceline took a deep breath and tried her hardest to concentrate on not letting her face catch fire again.

"Oh, sup Bonnie." she said casually as the pink-haired girl approached her.  
"There you are! I'm glad I caught you. You left this."

Bonnibel held up Marceline's gym bag.

_Oh wow. You were so embarrassed that you forgot your entire gym kit._

"...Oh." she felt her ears grow hot "Thanks! Man I'm such a doofbrain for forgetting."

She slung the gym bag over her shoulder and retrieved her pennyboard from her locker. Meanwhile Bonnie was giggling over the word 'doofbrain.'

Marceline gave her a slow smile and went to ask what was so funny, but Bonnie cleared her throat and suddenly turned to leave.

"You're welcome, _doofbrain_. See you tomorrow."

 

Marceline could have been imagining, but there was something unusual about the way that Bonnie looked her up and down...and the way she smiled at her... Marcy shook the feeling off and nodded.

 

"Yeah, see you- oh no wait!" she suddenly yelled, remembering what she was about to say in gym before Jake cut her off. Bonnie turned, brows raised in surprise.  
"Yes? What is it?"  
Marceline began digging in the pocket of her shorts, pulling out a pen, a chain of paperclips, and a button, before finally pulling out a small square of crumpled red paper.

"Here." she handed it over shyly. Bonnie took her little square glasses out of her cardigan pocket and slipped them onto her nose before reading.

_Those glasses are adorable on her._

"I..i-it's for my band. I um, told you...this morning...I play bass?" Marcy stammered, and Bonnie nodded.  
"Oh, yes I think I remember you saying so."

Marceline took a deep breath.

"Well...we're playing our first public set this Friday. Just a local café in town. It'd be...I'd like for you to come. Plus it'll mean you'll get to see a bit of the local scene you know? You don't have to come if you don't wa-"  
"Marceline I'd love to."

Marceline flushed yet again, let out a short cough in an attempt to regain composure, and then smiled.

"Awesome. Can't wait."  
" It sounds great ! Friday, right?"  
"Yep, Friday."

With a nod and a wave, Bonnie set off down the hallway doing her little bouncy walk, flyer in hand.

Marceline turned in the opposite direction and almost punched the air in excitement. She pulled her headphones on over her head, switched on her iPod, and headed for home.

 _I don't care if Monday's black_  
_Tuesday, Wednesday heart attack_  
_Thursday never looking back_  
_It's Friday I'm in love._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter took me so long! Unfortunately, writers block happened.  
> But chapter 3 is finally here. It's twice as long, and hey, a triple whammy of three more character introductions!
> 
> Gay status: Getting gayer.  
> What will Friday bring?
> 
> Chapter 4 is in the works!


	4. Shades of Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter focusing on Bonnie's perspective! A small glimpse at home life in the Bubblegum (Bluestock-Jarèt) household, and Bonnie goes to the Scream Queens gig.

Bonnie stepped through the front door, hung her satchel on a coat peg, and tossed her keys into the bowl.

 

"Helloooo! Anybody home?" she called into the house.

 

But she needn't have asked. The smell of baking drifting from the kitchen gave her the answer.

 

"Hey Bon - ahhh shit." a voice replied, followed by a distinctive wet plopping sound.

 

Bonnie snorted and skipped into the open-plan kitchen where her older brother Garret stood wearing an apron, which was spattered with white mixture. On the floor at his feet was a huge glob of whisked sugar and egg whites - which was meant to be in it's bowl.

Garret sighed in frustration, placing the empty bowl and electric whisk on the side with a clatter, and Bonnie giggled again.

 

"Still not got the hang of the meringue mix huh?"

"Nooope." Garret replied, popping his lips on the 'p'. "I'm supposed to be making summer fruits pavlova, but instead I appear to have made...Timmy's dinner."

 

Bonnie raised her eyebrows in surprise, and looked down to see their fluffy ginger cat licking the sugary mixture off the floor.

 

"Timmy noooo!" Bonnie called, scooping up the cat "Not for kitties."

Timmy licked his lips and purred with smug satisfaction, as Garret struggled to get the mixture back into the bowl.

 

Garret Bluestock-Jarèt was two years Bonnibel's senior, and wasn't exactly the spitting image of his sister. Where Bonnie was short, he was tall and a little lanky. His hair was a strawberry blonde (Bonnie's natural colour under all her dye) and was shaved short around the back and sides, sitting thick and wavy on the top of his head. But the pair of them had the same soft blue eyes; the defining feature of their family.

 

Bonnie 'hupped' onto one of the high stools situated around the kitchen table, still cuddling a purring Timmy, whilst Garret knelt down on the floor with a cloth to wipe up the sticky mess.

 

"Hey Gar." Bonnie piped up "Do you need the car on Friday?"

Garret sat back on his knees and looked thoughtful for a moment, before shaking his head.

 

"Don't think so." he got up and dusted off his jeans "Why? You got plans?"

 

Timmy made a 'hrrrp' noise and wriggled out of Bonnie's arms, trotting out of the kitchen.

 

"Hm?" she replied absent mindedly, watching the cat leave "Oh, uh, yes." she turned back to face her brother.

 

"There's a girl..at school. She's in a band and they're doing a gig in town on Friday night so I said I'd go."

"Ohh, is that so?" Garret inquired, waggling an eyebrow at his little sister.

 

"Garrrrrrr!" Bonnie whined in mock irritation "Stop, I only just met her! We're friends."

 

"Alright, alright!" he protested, getting up from the floor and going to fetch the kettle "Whatever you say Bonbon. You are blushing though."

"Shut up!"

"Tea?" he grinned

"Yes, please." Bonnie replied huffily, rubbing at her darkening cheeks.

 

Garret had got her thinking, though. It hadn't even crossed Bonnie's mind that Marceline might be interested in her, let alone interested in girls.

Bonnie often thought that her family were a blessing. The day she had plucked up the courage to tell them that she was attracted to girls as well as boys, they had been nothing but loving and supportive. _Love is love_ , her father had said. _And we love our Bonnibel, no matter what._

 

Garret placed the steaming mug of chamomile tea (her favourite) in front of her, and she cupped her hands around it, warming them. Garret placed his own mug on the kitchen counter, and grabbed another box of eggs from the kitchen cupboard.

"Thank you. Meringue mix take two?" Bonnie asked.

"Take 4, actually." he said with a sigh, cracking the eggs and separating the whites from the yolks.

"Make sure you beat the egg whites thoroughly so the proteins denature properly." Bonnie commented, sipping her tea "And try adding a drop of lemon juice when you add the sugar. The acid will help with the coagulation so it doesn't go soft and fall out the bowl like last time."

 Garret turned around and arched an eyebrow.

"Alright, Little Miss Science." he teased, but took his sisters words into consideration.

"So..." he said, squeezing a hint of lemon into the mixture "This gig...there's not going to be alcohol is there? You're still underage."

"Oh shush, Garret. It's a cafe that they sometimes open at night for small gigs, I don't even think they serve alcohol."

"The better hadn't do."

"You sound like Dad."

"Juuust being a responsible big brother!" he chirped, whisking in the last of the sugar "Now, the moment of truth..."

Garret took the bowl, and slowly tilted it upside down. The mixture stayed put.

"Tadaa!" Bonnie sang "You see?" she grinned smugly.

"Alright! Thank you Little Miss Science." he returned the smile, scooping the mix into a baking tin and placing it in the oven.

"Now go do your homework."

"Ughhhhhh."

 

* * *

 

Friday rolled around quicker than Bonnie expected. Wednesday and Thursday had blurred together into one. Wednesday, Bonnie saw a lot of Marceline. They had English Literature class together, and even ate lunch together. Thursday, Bonnie saw very little of Marceline, much to her disappointment.

 

Friday, Marceline was a bundle or nerves, and Bonnie could tell. Usually she came to say hello in homeroom before Miss Mujigae arrived, but that morning Marceline spent with her head firmly on her desk, headphones on, world drowned out. Bonnie thought it best to leave her, until they both found a quiet moment stood by the lockers.

 

Marceline walked like a zombie over to her locker, and lowered her forehead onto it with a dull clank.

 

"Nervous?" Bonnie asked.

"Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn." Marcy replied. Bonnie tried not to giggle.

"I hardly slept last night." Marceline mumbled, straightening up and running a hand over her tired face "And when I did I had these mad crazy dreams. Like at one point I was up on stage and my bass turned into spaghetti."

 

Bonnie laughed loudly at that, causing Marcy's mouth to slowly turn up at one corner into a lazy smile. _That smile_... Bonnie tried to to gaze at her lips too much.

 

"Um..." the pink-haired girl began "I'm sure it's going to go without a hitch, ok? You'll be wonderful and I'm really excited to see you play."

 

"Thanks Bonnie."

 

The school hallway had emptied around them whilst they'd been talking, and they were both going to be late for their classes. Bonnie took a deep breath, and in a bold move, reached out and loosely took Marceline's hand in hers.

 

"Good luck Marceline."

 

She gave her hand a little squeeze before letting go and quickly turning on her heels, marching to art class as fast as she could. She didn't want Marceline to see the pink blush that was covering her cheeks.

 

 _Crap_. Why did she do that?! They'd known each other for less than a week and Bonnie was already putting their friendship in jeopardy. But...the way Marceline smiled at her. Surely she hadn't been imagining it?

 

No. No time to think about that now. Bonnie pushed the thoughts aside, and stopped thinking about the lingering warmth of Marceline's hand in hers, and made her way to the art building.

 

If she had turned around she would have seen Marceline frozen to the spot, clutching the hand that Bonnie had held, smiling.

 

* * *

 

The name of the café the gig was being held at was The Candy Bar. A quick google search of the place informed Bonnie that in the daytime they sold milkshakes, and various sweet pastries and cakes. But at night, the café became a performance venue for local bands and performers, and served various sugary cocktails. Bonnie thought they had picked a very fitting name for their establishment. Although, she had thought it best not to tell Garrett that they served alcohol. Sometimes he worried more than both of their parents combined. But Marceline's gig was listed on the event page on The Candy Bar's website, and stated that the bar would not be serving tonight.

 _The Scream Queens_ , Bonnie mused. She loved the name.

 

The gig was billed to start at 9pm.

It was currently 8:55, and Bonnie was stuck in traffic.

 

"Crap" she muttered out loud to herself "crapcrapcrapcrapcrap."

 

Why hadn't she thought to ask Marceline's number! She could have called her and told her she was running late! Bonnie sighed and cursed her own stupidity, thudding her head against the steering wheel.

 

By the time the traffic finally started shifting, albeit at a glacial pace, it was already 9. And by the time Bonnie had made it into the town centre, she had no idea which way to go. It had looked so straightforward on google maps! After circling a roundabout three times, muttering a stream of curses along the way, she finally found it. The Candy Bar stood in the distance with its bright pink door and neon sign like a beacon of hope.

 

At exactly 9:12pm, Bonnie shuffled into The Candy Bar as discreetly as possible, trying not to make a scene. The jingle of the bell above the door did earn her a few looks, but most eyes were trained onto the stage where the band were currently tweaking their instruments in-between songs. She made her way over the bar and sat up one of the high stools, ordering a cream soda. She took a sip, and suddenly Marceline's voice drifting from the speakers caught her full attention.

 

"Um yeah, so...this next one is called Shades of Red."

 

Bonnie turned on the stool to face the stage, and their eyes met. Marceline was wearing a loose-fitting grey vest, skinny dark denim jeans, and knee high boots. Slung over her shoulder was a gorgeous bass guitar made of polished wood, dyed a deep cherry red. She looked amazing. Marceline's face split into a huge grin when she spotted Bonnie in the crowd, and Bonnie beamed right back, giving her a little thumbs up.

 

" _One, two, three, four!_ " Marceline called, and the drums kicked in.

 

Their sound was incredibly unique. Within it, Bonnie could definitely hear Marceline's influences, all the bands they'd talked about. The Clash. Blondie. Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Scream Queens were a five-piece, with Marceline on bass and vocals, another girl on guitar, and two boys, one on synth and the other on drums. Marceline's bass playing was fluid and skilled, and Bonnie really did try her hardest to listen to the lyrics. But she found herself getting lost in the sound of Marceline's singing voice. It was strong and sultry, sometimes a little raspy, and with an impressive range. Marcy's dark eyes met hers from across the bar again, and the girls grinned at each other again. When the song ended, Bonnie clapped the loudest.

 

Bonnie didn't want the night to end, but soon the band were wrapping up their final song and receiving their final round of applause. Really, Bonnie had no idea why Marceline had been so nervous. She looked completely at home on the stage, totally in her element. And the audience had loved it.

Bonnie watched as Marceline clambered down off the stage and hugged a man with greying hair and glasses that Bonnie recognised: the history teacher Mr Petrikov that Marceline had talked so much about. Bonnie thought it unusual for a teacher to be so close with his students, but it was also sortof sweet. Scanning the rest of the venue, she also saw a familiar polar bear hat. Mr Toro's little brother Finn was stood at the back, accompanied by Mr Toro himself. Bonnie waved and smiled at the pair of them, and they both waved back. Though Finn's wave was small, and he tugged his hat down a little afterwards. He seemed like a shy kid.

 

Bonnie climbed down from her bar stool, and when she looked up, Marceline was headed her way.

 

"Bonnie!"

 

Bonnie barely had time to prepare herself before Marceline threw herself at her in a hug. Bonnie was enveloped in her arms and buried in her hair, and Marceline squeezed her tightly, even picking her up off the floor a little.

 

" _You_ _made it_ _._ " Marceline mumbled into her shoulder "I was so scared you weren't gonna show up."

 

"Wha...of course I came Marceline!" Bonnie replied, her initial surprise from the hug fading "You were wonderful. I knew you would be."

 

Marceline gently lowered her to the ground, and it was Bonnie who held on for a little while longer. Her face was buried in Marceline's hair, which smelled like cocoa butter and exotic oils. She was so warm. Bonnie didn't want her to let go. But soon, a voice came cutting through the crowd.

 

"Marceline?" the deep voice called.

 

Immediately, Marceline let go, leaping away from Bonnie as if she had received an electric shock. She straightened her back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

 

"Um. Yes, Papi?" she responded shyly.

 

Bonnie looked up at the man who had approached them.Marceline's father. He was tall, and dressed in a crisp, clean suit. His skin was a little lighter than Marceline's, and his eyes were dark and sunken.

"You...were very good tonight. Well done." he seemed almost reluctant to give her the compliment, but Bonnie could tell he meant it.

 

"Thanks, Papi." she replied quietly, with a smile.

"Who's your friend? The new girl you were telling me about, perhaps?"

 

The fact that Marceline had been talking about her made Bonnie feel warm inside.

 

"Oh, yeah. Bonnie this is my dad. Dad, this is Bonnie."

"It's very nice to meet you Mr. Abadeer." Bonnie said politely, extending a hand to shake. Mr Abadeer looked pleasantly surprised, and shook it.

 

"Likewise, Bonnie. Marceline, you should invite this nice young lady to dinner." he suddenly declared.

 

Bonnie turned to Marceline, who was completely flustering.

 

"Wha...I um...well..."

 

Bonnie suppressed a giggle, and smiled at Mr Abadeer.

 

"Dinner sounds lovely, thank you so much for inviting me."

He nodded stoically in response.

"My pleasure. Is Sunday alright with you?"

"Yes, Sunday is perfect!"

"Good, we would love to have you. Go and pack up Marceline, we have to get going."

 

Marceline nodded quietly.

 

"I'll help." Bonnie offered.

 

The girls excused themselves and headed back over to the stage, and Marceline sighed as she grabbed her bass.

 

"I'm sorry about my dad, he can be a little..."

"Marcy it's fine. And before you ask, yes, I really do want to come to dinner."

 

Marceline relaxed visibly and smiled, and Bonnie helped her wrestle the bass into it's carry case.

 

"Thanks for coming tonight. Seeing you in the crowd was...it really helped. See you on Sunday?" Marcy smiled, and Bonnie eagerly returned it. Marceline grabbed her bass and turned to go and rejoin her father.

 

"Definitely. Oh and Marceline?"

 

The tall girl turned back to face her with curiosity, and Bonnie dug in her pocket and retrieved her phone.

 

"Can I...?"

Marceline blinked for a moment.

"Oh! Uh yeah, sure."

 

She put the case down and the two of them quickly exchanged numbers. The Candy Bar was almost empty now, save for the two of them, the staff, and Marceline's father. He called her over again and she picked up the bass.

 

"Sorry, gotta dash. So, Sunday?"

"Sunday."

 

Marceline did that smile again that made Bonnie's insides do a backflip. They waved goodbye, and Bonnie headed out to her car.

 

She was stuck in traffic again on the way back home, but she smiled the entire time, with the tune of Shades of Red going around and around in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 4 IS FINALLY HERE!  
> I want to thank you all so much for your positive comments, and of course for your patience! University has been pretty heavy going but I finally found the time and inspiration to update!  
> I'm currently planning out the details of chapter 5, but not sure when I'll have time to churn it out. Hopefully sooner rather than later!
> 
> Gay status: getting even gayer. We finally got to find out what's going on inside Bonnie's lil pink head (note that although within the Adventure Time canon I view both PB and Marcy as bisexual, in this fic Bonnie is bisexual and Marcy is a lesbian). Also I couldn't resist including Gumball in this AU. Will Marshall ever show up? We shall see...
> 
> P.S! If you want to be kept more in the loop about updates and my general progress on the fic, feel free to head over to tumblr @ hyrulehobbit.tumblr.com! I'll be sure to post about any upcoming updates and would love to answer any questions you have. Anything and everything in regards to this AU will be tagged as "IAY bubbline" so keep an eye out.
> 
> Many thanks and lots of love!


	5. On One Condition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marceline is going on a dinner date... but not with who she would like.

When Marceline and her father arrived home, Marceline's mother was waiting at the dinner table, with three steaming cups of cardamom tea.

"How did it go?" Mrs Abadeer asked.

Marceline bounced joyfully into the house and over to where her mother was sat, throwing her arms around her shoulders.

"Oh Ma it was the best!" she squealed.

Even Mr Abadeer's usually stoic countenance was somewhat moved, and he managed a soft smile.

"She was very good." he said sincerely.

Marceline and her father took seats at the table and the three of them drank their tea as Marceline relayed the evening’s events to her mother excitedly.

"-and then I thought I was going to totally goof up my bass solo with the really tricky middle bit but it just...happened! I _brought it_. And then-" she laughed shyly "-and then I was thinking that Bonnie wasn't gonna show, but turns out she was stuck in crazy traffic and she made it for the last few songs!"

She twiddled with her long hair.

"You remember me telling you about her, right? The new girl? Dad invited her for dinner on Sunday! That's cool right?" she asked her Mother hopefully.

_Pleasepleaseplease-_

"Well, I don't see why...oh, Sunday? _Are nahin!_ No, Sunday is no good! Hunsen how could you forget?"

Marceline watched, puzzled, as her father clapped his hand to his head in realisation.

" _Laanat hai_ , it slipped my mind..."

Marceline put her cup down sharply.

"What? What?!"

Mrs Abadeer sighed.

"Sunday is no good, sorry _priy_."

Marceline narrowed her eyes. This couldn't be good...

"Marceline." Mr Abadeer straightened his tie "You remember the terms of our agreement..."

Marceline’s eyes suddenly widened in horror. Oh no...

"Oh no-"

"I said I'd organise this gig for you on one condition-"

"Papi, please-"

"Marceline, no." Mr Abadeer raised his voice sternly. Marceline gripped the handle of her mug.

"It's just dinner, Marceline. For now. "

Marceline rolled her eyes. This evening had just taken a turn for the shitty.

"Your mother arranged the whole thing. We're all going for dinner with the Bakshi family. Do you remember Ashwin? The two of you used to play together."

Oh no, _Ash?!_

"Papi, I haven't seen him since we were six years old! You can't expect me to-"

"I _expect_ you to give the boy a chance. That is all."

Marceline sighed and ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. She looked up at her mother pleadingly, and received a sympathetic look in return, but not much else.

"Like your father said Marceline, it's just dinner.” Rani said softly, patting her daughter on the hand “Give the boy a chance, you may find you like him. That's all we ask. And your new friend can come around for dinner next week, promise."

Marcy stared at table, not wanting to make eye contact with either of her parents.

"Promise?" she mumbled quietly.

"Yes." Mr Abadeer answered.

There was no way out. Marceline sighed and excused herself, grabbing her bass and heading upstairs in silence.

Marceline's cup of tea sat half finished at the table, slowly going cold.

 

* * *

 

 

"Bonnie? I...I'm sorry it's late, I-" Marceline mumbled quietly into the receiver.

"...Marceline? What on earth is the matter?!"

Marceline lay curled on her side in the middle of the bed, phone to her ear and Hambo hugged tightly to her chest.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Marceline muttered again, practically a whisper this time.

"What? Oh no, I was up doing algebra." Bonnie replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to be doing algebra at midnight on a Friday.

Marceline couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh, trying to keep her voice down so as not to disturb her parents.

"That's so _you_."

She heard Bonnie let out the tiniest ‘hmph’ on the other end of the line and Marceline could practically feel her pout radiating through the phone. The sound of Bonnie's voice so close in her ear made her heartbeat quicken slightly, and she momentarily forgot why she was calling in the first place.

"You still haven't told me what the matter is, and I can tell that something definitely is the matter, so please would you be kind enough as to tell me?"

Marceline sighed at length into the phone and rolled onto her back, fiddling with Hambo's one good ear.

"You can't come for dinner on Sunday."

A brief silence.

"Oh. Well, that's a shame but it's not the end of the world. Can I ask why not?"

"My dad forgot we already have dinner plans that night."

"Oh." again "Well, again, that doesn't sound terri-"

"Bonnie they're setting me up on a date."

Another silence. This one longer. And another:

" _Oh_."

From Bonnie. But this 'oh' sounded a little more deflated than the others.

The silence continued to drag on. Marceline could hear her own pulse beating thickly in her ears and it felt like an eternity before Bonnie finally said something.

"I... I see. Is he... um...nice?"

"Ugh, I don't know! I haven't seen this bozo since I was six years old!" Marceline growled in frustration, propelling herself upright on the bed.

Bonnie sighed on the other end. It sounded to be a thoughtful sigh, and again Marceline could perfectly picture Bonnie's expression in her mind; her eyebrows furrowed together as the cogs in her little science brain ticked away.

"Truthfully, I don't have much advice to give. I am privileged enough to have not been in such a situation, nor will I ever be. But what I can do is listen. So just...I'd like for you to tell me all about it. If you want?"

Marceline felt a warmth in her chest and upon her cheeks. She leaned back against the headboard and the cushions, making herself more comfortable.

"You're the best, Bonbon."

"I try! Now go ahead. Start from the beginning if you need to."

Marceline took a deep breath. And then, she talked. And Bonnibel listened.

 

"...the _worst_ ……..outdated……...unfair……...don't understand how...he's…....and my parents!...I stupidly agreed…....but only because I wanted…..."

 

Throughout all of this, Bonnie did not say much. She occasionally hummed or sighed, or encouraged Marceline to continue or elaborate. But mostly, she listened.

Rant completed, Marceline exhaled. For a few seconds there was a silence, but it was not an uncomfortable one.

“Thank you. For listening to all of that.” Marceline finally spoke.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for sharing it with me. I hope I helped somewhat.”

Marceline smiled and sighed.

“Totally. I…”

She paused. _Say it. Just say it, Marceline._

“I wish it was you I was going on a dinner date with.” she screwed up her eyes and blurted it out all in one go before she could change her mind.

There was another silence. Marceline curled her toes and held her breath and desperately tried to think of something to cover her tracks - when Bonnie laughed softly in her ear.

“...Yeah? I wish so too.”

Marceline felt her face flush with heat, right up to the tips of her ears. Her heart was hammering something crazy. Did Bonnie feel the same way on the other end of the line?

As her mind raced for something else to say, her rapid thought train was interrupted by Bonnie yawning into the receiver. Marcy quickly checked the time...shit, it was nearly 2am?! How long had they been talking for?

“Oh yikes, it’s late. Sorry for keeping you up Bon, I’ll let you sleep.”

 “It’s fiiiine~” Bonnie mumbled, ambushed by yet another yawn. _She sounds cute when she's sleepy._

“See you in class on Monday? And you can text me during the dinner date if you need rescuing.”

“I will. Goodnight, Bonnie.”

“Goodnight, Marceline.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. Almost exactly one year later, I've finally done it.  
> If you have been waiting around for this; thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.
> 
> I can only apologise for how long this took and for keeping you all waiting. I never intended for this fic to go on hiatus, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who had a slightly hellish 2016 (rest in pieces you garbage year). Anyway, a lot has happened since then. I graduated university (!), moved up and down and up the country, and every so often I'd return to this fic . More often than not I was lost for words, unsure how to pick it back up again. But now I am in a much better position for writing, and I finally gave chapter 5 that final push it needed.
> 
> Also, you will probably be pleased to know that this fic is fully planned out, from start to finish. I even compiled all the plot together in a document! (a world first for me, honestly). So I am happy to say: hiatus officially over. 
> 
> Updated note 17/04/17: You might be aware that I am also writing this fic alongside my homestuck kingdom AU "Royal Blood, Royal Hands" and the way I've been working an update schedule is I have been taking it in turns to update each one. RBRH just updated today! So IAY is next, and I'm hoping to get the next chapter out to you in May.
> 
> Til then, feel free to pester me over on my [tumblr](http://hyrulehobbit.tumblr.com)! I cannot link to my Ko-Fi page here due to AO3's terms and conditions, but you will find it on my [writing page](http://hyrulehobbit.tumblr.com/fics) on tumblr! (Ko-Fi is like an online tip jar for creators where you can "buy me a coffee" and I'm a poor penniless writer with a lotta debt only recently out of unemployment, so any donations you are able to make would make me incredibly happy and grateful.)
> 
> Lots of love.


	6. Ash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner date from hell: Commence.

_VampireQueen: T minus 1 hour until the dinner date from hell  
_ _  
_ _PrincessBubblegum: You got this Marcy!! I believe in you! ^_^_

 

Marceline sat in front of her mirror on her desk and looked over her reflection, huffing out her cheeks. Words could not express how much she did not want to do this, even if Bonnie’s positive attitude did make her feel a tiny bit better.

“Marceline?” her mother’s voice came through the bedroom door, followed by a knock.

“ _Haan maan_?” she responded, turning her head, and her mother entered the room with a bundle of pretty red fabric tucked under her arm.

“I had your red saree dry cleaned, sweetie.” she said with a smile, gesturing to the bundle “Need a hand getting ready?”

Marceline sighed and looked down at the outfit she was currently wearing: her much more comfortable and preferable jeans and Muse t-shirt, before looking back up at her mom.

“Yes please.”

 

* * *

 

Marceline gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror.

Her saree was pinned perfectly in place and her mother had intricately braided her long glossy hair and gathered it into a very beautiful up-do. She looked very nice, but did not feel a lot like herself.

“Ready, Marceline?” her father called from downstairs.

“Almost!” she yelled back, chewing her lip and squinting at her reflection. She knew what this needed.

With expert flourishes, she thickly lined her dark eyes in even darker smoky black eyeliner. Satisfied, she reached into her jewellery box, grabbed a handful of spiked and studded bracelets, and adorned her arms.

Much better.

“Marceline, we are going to be late.” a slightly more impatient call came again.

Marceline smoothed down her saree, took a quick selfie of herself flipping off the camera, and she was ready.

 

_VampireQueen sent a photo_

_PrincessBubblegum: Haha, charming! You look very lovely though._

_VampireQueen: … thanks BonBon o///o_

 

Mr Abadeer rolled his eyes at Marceline’s studded jewellery but chose not to pass comment as he ushered her into the car. She smiled smugly.

As they pulled up to the restaurant, Marceline took a deep breath. She’d been bouncing her leg for the entire car journey.

 

_It’s just dinner. One night, and then you never have to do this again._

 

“Remember, Marceline...just...give the boy a chance, yes?” her father said as they got out of the car and entered the restaurant. It was her turn to roll her eyes and say nothing.

“Mr and Mrs Abadeer!” a voice called from the middle of the restaurant, and the Bakshi family rose from their seats to greet them.

 The parents shook hands and kissed cheeks. Mr and Mrs Bakshi were as boring as Marceline remembered them being, but she smiled politely and shook hands and said her hello’s and thank-you’s…

 

...and then her eyes fell on Ash.

 

Ashwin was tall, just a little taller than Marceline. He was skinny, looked a little uncomfortable in his starched suit. But most of all, Marceline was focused on his ridiculous undercut and the way his hair flopped over at the top. And he had piercings! _Facial piercings_! Marceline remembered when she’d asked her dad if she could just get her ear cartilage pierced and he’d almost burst into flames at the suggestion. Ugh, boys could get away with anything.

“Marceline...you’ve...grown up.” he said, eloquently.

“Yes, human beings tend to do that.” Marceline responded dryly.

Ash looked a little embarrassed as Marceline detected a flush in his cheeks. But his way of recovering was to swoop in, take Marceline’s hand...and kiss the back of it.

 

_Puke._

 

“Yes...well...let’s sit down to eat shall we?” said Marceline’s mom.

Nice save, Ma.

Ash swooped around to push Marceline’s chair in behind her, and she just about held in a snort of laughter over how ridiculous this whole affair was.

“So, Marceline.” Ash’s father began “Your father tells me you may be applying for dentistry? Our Ashwin is going into law.”

 

_And so, it begins._

 

* * *

 

“God Bonnie he’s just awful. I can smell the entire can of Axe he apparently bathed in from way across the table and you should see his _hair_!”

Bonnie snorted, crunching on something that sounded like popcorn over the phone. Marceline had excused herself to go to the bathroom for a moment's respite and couldn’t resist calling Bonnie for a quick vent.

“Aw, surely he’s not that ba-”

“He kissed my hand and pushed my chair in behind me.”

“Pfffffffffff-” was all that Bonnie said before bursting into fits of giggles.

“Agh, c’mon BonBon don’t laugh at my misery!” Marceline replied, but Bonnie’s laughter was so infectious she couldn’t stop giggling into her hand in the bathroom stall.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry, “ Bonnie said pulling herself together “But you’re nearly through! Your parents just said it was this one dinner right?”  
“Yeah, so they said but I just know they’re gonna try and push for a second one.” Marceline groaned, rolling her eyes preemptively.

“Maybe so, but they still promised that I could come over right?”

“Yes, and I am totally holding them to that promise.”

“Hm, good. I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Aw jeez, Marceline’s stomach gave an excited flip and not because she’d just totally pigged out on spicy food.

 

“So am I.” Marcy sighed, pulling her phone away from her ear to check the call time. 10 minutes. They’d be wondering if she’d flushed herself down the toilet in a desperate escape attempt. “I gotta go Princess…”

“That’s ok, text me later?”

“Oh you know it. Laters.”

Marceline hung up, smoothed out her saree, took the deepest breath, and stepped back into dinner date hell.

She was relieved to see that the parents were arguing over who was going to pay the bill as she returned.

“There you are, Marceline.” her mom said, getting up to leave.

 

Thank god that was over.

 

“Sorry Ma, I was… eyeliner.” she gestured vaguely to her face “You know how these things are. Thanks for dinner Mr and Mrs B.”

She gave a mock salute to Ash’s parents, who looked a little surprised.

“Oh. Our pleasure.” Mr Bakshi replied awkwardly with a nod.

 

_Yeah, thanks for a night of bragging about your kids achievements and grades while neither of said kids get a word in edgeways._

 

Marceline honored Ash with a cursory nod and he sort of...shifted from one foot to the other and twitched his hands as if he was gonna move in for a hug.

Nope, not a chance.

Marceline quickly linked arms with her mother and tugged at her slightly.

“Come on Ma, I need my beauty sleep.”

Mrs Abadeer opened her mouth, as though to mention Marceline’s habit of staying up well past 1am on school nights bingewatching crappy paranormal Netflix shows, but instead closed it again. Marceline’s plan worked though, goodbyes were said, hands were shook, and finally _finally_ she was sprawled in the back sweat of the car on the way home.

 

_Freedom!_

 

“So...Marceline…” Mr Abadeer cleared his throat “How did you find it?”

“Oh jeez can we not already, I’m still digesting.”

“I was just wondering how you would feel about possibly a second-”

“Papi no! Not a word. Nuh uh. Not til after I can have Bonnie stay for dinner. You promised.”

 

Hunsen sighed deeply.

 

“I… yes. I suppose that is fair.”

“Tomorrow.” Marceline stated.

She saw her father raise his eyebrows at her in the rear view mirror. She stood her ground. Her mother gave him a nudge with her elbow.

“Fine. Tomorrow.”

“Yes!” Marceline gave a mini fistpump and relaxed back into the car seat, immediately whipping out her phone to text Bonnie.

 

By the time she was home and in bed, shed of her heavy saree and jewellery, everything was arranged. After a texting marathon dedicated to describing just how terrible Ash and his hair was, they had arranged for Bonnie to come over after school tomorrow.

Marceline wrapped her duvet around herself and wiggled her toes in excitement. The dinner date from hell had all been worth it. Tomorrow, she and Bonnie were going to spend some real time together that didn’t involve textbooks or lunch halls, and Marceline couldn’t wait.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Marceline felt her phone buzz. Half asleep, she reached for it and squinted against the bright screen in the dark. Was it Bonnie?

 

No. An unfamiliar username had popped up on her messenger app.

 

_RagWizard: Hey...just wanna say...you looked so fucking hot tonight Marcy, not like I coulda said anything over dinner so just wanted to let u know lol. Can’t stop thinking about you. How about we go somewhere together without our folks hey? Just me and u ;) Ash._

 

Marceline left him on ‘read’ and switched her phone off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, great to be back!  
> As always I want to thank you for your patience, I'm so glad to have finally published this chapter. It was a tricky one being a transitional chapter for introducing a new necessary character (hows about that Ash huh? what a turd) but now it's done... I can finally get onto the good stuff. Stuff I've been planning since day one of this fic. And I dunno about you but I for one am super excited.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this update! I promise there's some great updates headed your way (this slow burn is about to finally burn out yo). I'm pretty busy at the moment as it's con season and I've very recently changed jobs, but I should be back on schedule meaning my kingdomstuck fic is next for an update (if that's your flavour be sure to check it out!)
> 
> I write for fun, meaning I write for free! But if you enjoy what I do and want to support me, please consider buying me a coffee! As usual I cannot leave a direct link here due to Ao3's T&Cs, but there is a link to my Ko-Fi both in my tumblr description and on my writing page on tumblr! [Tumblr link here](http://hyrulehobbit.tumblr.com). Also I'd love to answer any questions you have about this fic/AU so feel free to drop me a message, I'd love to chat!
> 
> Stay sweet til next time.


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